[U-Boot] About GPL

Wolfgang Denk wd at denx.de
Wed Dec 16 23:20:47 CET 2009


Dear "Hekko",

In message <21445806094b2958a71cfb50.07474534.Active.mail at poczta.nazwa.pl> you wrote:
> 
> Just a quick question: u-boot boot loader/linux kernel/bash is GPL
> right ? ...

Yes, but there are different versions of the GPL. U-Boot is currently
"GPLv2+"; Linux is "GPLv2"; bash is currently "GPLv2+".

>     ... So whoever is using it he should public entire source code
> with an annotation that it's based on u-boot boot loader/linux
> kernel/bash ?

No, there is no need to publish the source code. Alternatively you
can, for example, accompany your distribution with a written offer,
valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge
no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution,
a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code.

Please see the GPL for exact details.

> Well, I'm a software programmer in the LG Electronics company, all
> these TVs has u-boot inside, with Linux kernel 2.6.10, bash etc. lots
> of GPL software and they not only didn't published the source code,
> they also changed all "authors" to themselves an d claim that they
> actually "invented" all of this.

Do you have any proof for this statement?

Did you contact LG and ask for a copy of the source code?

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
DENX Software Engineering GmbH,     MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel
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